Squint and you might just think you're in New Orleans . That's the objective of Universal Studios' Mardi Gras celebration, which tries to bring the best of the Big Easy to Orlando for several weekends each spring. The theme park aims for authentic experiences by transferring the brightest elements of New Orleans' party here, including a flashy parade, trademark cuisine and music direct from Louisiana. Universal caps it off with more tunes from headlining musical acts that draw thousands of spectators to its Music Plaza for 14 nights.

Squint and you might just think you're in New Orleans . That's the objective of Universal Studios' Mardi Gras celebration, which tries to bring the best of the Big Easy to Orlando for several weekends each spring. The theme park aims for authentic experiences by transferring the brightest elements of New Orleans' party here, including a flashy parade, trademark cuisine and music direct from Louisiana. Universal caps it off with more tunes from headlining musical acts that draw thousands of spectators to its Music Plaza for 14 nights.

On Sept. 21, my husband and I will have been married 14 years. Although there have been some challenges along the way, overall, each year only gets better. A happy, enduring marriage takes work and nurturing, and I think a lot of people forget that. The marriage license doesn't guarantee that your life together will be a perpetual state of bliss. You have to strive constantly to make it better, to keep the ``spark'' alive so that your relationship will continue to grow and become even more precious and special over time.

With Florida's black bear population rebounding, wildlife officials have this tip for those who don't want bears visiting their neighborhood: Reduce their access to food. Just as Yogi kept looking for an easy picnic, black bears will forage for garbage, pet food left outdoors or other potential food sources, said Dave Telesco, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Blocking that access will reduce bear complaints and in the long run ensure the bear's future in Florida, he said.

Those lucky enough to keep a job since the economy went south may be experiencing another side effect of today's high unemployment rate -- stagnating wages. High unemployment, which has hovered around 6 percent for more than a year, has been consistently driving down wages and has all but erased the wage gains made during the late 1990s economic boom, according to a recent analysis of labor statistics by the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank. "If unemployment rates stay around 5.5 [percent]

Larry Jarboe's quest for energy independence began years ago in the mangrove swamps of the Florida Keys, with a 15-foot canoe he bought for $75 at Sears. He installed an electric trolling motor to chase lobsters and realized along the way that "it was a really great way to live and very clean." After that came the homemade electric riding lawn mower, the solar-powered electric Toyota MR2 with lightning bolt on the side (known as the "Green Hornet"), the electric bicycle and the wood-and-gas-powered sawmill.

Supplies of key construction material stabilized or increased within the past year, easing concerns about escalating costs for home builders and commercial-construction companies. Part of the explanation: The slowdown in residential construction nationwide and in fast-growth states such as Florida has reduced demand. Builders scrambled to find cement, a basic ingredient in concrete, during the boom years of 2004 and 2005. But by the second half of 2006, the downturn in residential construction cut demand just as production was picking up, reports suggest.

PLANS TO market new sugar substitutes in the next few years have rekindled a debate over the potential health risks posed by artificial sweeteners. The health question is intensifying as manufacturers scramble to take advantage of the expiration of Monsanto Co.'s exclusive right to market aspartame in the United States. Aspartame is the key ingredient in Monsanto's hugely popular NutraSweet brand sweetener. Its 10-year patent for aspartame runs out in December 1992.

VIENNA, Austria -- North Korea poses the "most immediate and most serious threat" to efforts to control the world's nuclear weapons, the U.N. atomic-watchdog agency's chief warned Friday. Mohamed ElBaradei of the International Atomic Energy Agency said he was concerned about the latest reports that Pyongyang is reprocessing fuel rods that were under his agency's safeguards. U.S. officials say they're not sure whether North Korean representatives were bluffing when they claimed last week to have finished extracting plutonium -- a key ingredient for nuclear weapons -- from 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods.

PLEASANT PLAIN, Ohio -- Someone trying to steal anhydrous ammonia from a fertilizer plant early Wednesday released a stinging cloud of the chemical that led to the evacuation of about 300 residents, fire officials said. No injuries were reported. Most residents were allowed to return about an hour after a hazardous-materials team closed a valve on an ammonia tank, Harlan Township fire Chief Andy Mitten said. Anhydrous ammonia is produced as a fertilizer, but it's also a key ingredient in methamphetamine, a highly addictive drug.

The Black Keys moved out of the basement studio for Attack & Release, the duo's fifth full-length release, but the album's best moments are still its most primitive. Produced by Danger Mouse, there's a bigger feel to many of these 11 songs, an evolution that doesn't always represent progress. "Strange Times," for instance, manages to sound almost commercial despite the presence of the Black Keys' signature distorted guitar and a pounding beat. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Pat Carney are most distinctive when they take a minimalist approach.

Supplies of key construction material stabilized or increased within the past year, easing concerns about escalating costs for home builders and commercial-construction companies. Part of the explanation: The slowdown in residential construction nationwide and in fast-growth states such as Florida has reduced demand. Builders scrambled to find cement, a basic ingredient in concrete, during the boom years of 2004 and 2005. But by the second half of 2006, the downturn in residential construction cut demand just as production was picking up, reports suggest.

WASHINGTON -- Anticipating that President George W. Bush would weigh in on immigration reform, I asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice if she believed a solution beckoned. Her response, which has been reinforced by the president's own recent comments, started on the human side of the issue: "He's rather famous for a quote that family values don't stop at the Rio Grande. And he recognizes -- and has talked to me from the time that I first met him -- about the contribution that immigrants make to this society, including people who may have crossed illegally."

BERKELEY, Calif. -- More than 1 million people die of malaria each year because treatment, about $2.40 a person, costs too much for most victims, mostly children in Asia and Africa. However, a team of University of California, Berkeley, scientists thinks it can cut the cost to 25 cents a dose by engineering a mass-producible version of the cure's key ingredient. For the past two years, Berkeley bioengineer Jay Keasling has led an effort to engineer bacteria to make a form of the lifesaving drug.

Larry Jarboe's quest for energy independence began years ago in the mangrove swamps of the Florida Keys, with a 15-foot canoe he bought for $75 at Sears. He installed an electric trolling motor to chase lobsters and realized along the way that "it was a really great way to live and very clean." After that came the homemade electric riding lawn mower, the solar-powered electric Toyota MR2 with lightning bolt on the side (known as the "Green Hornet"), the electric bicycle and the wood-and-gas-powered sawmill.

Too much meth on the mind? Methamphetamine, the drug that is smoked, snorted or injected for a cheap high, is making news. Drug agents arrested two people after a U.S. Highway 192 hotel manager got suspicious and called for help this week. Agents found labs in two local motels at the beginning of the year. This is a trend we don't need. Cooking meth next to tourists is an Osceola nightmare because such operations are dangerous. An explosion or just a release of toxic fumes on unsuspecting visitors would be a terrible black eye for Osceola's tourist-driven economy.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The DuPont Co. agreed to pay as much as $343 million Thursday to settle allegations the chemical giant contaminated drinking water in West Virginia and Ohio with a key ingredient used in its Teflon products. As many as 60,000 residents around DuPont's Washington Works plant on the Ohio River near Parkersburg, W.Va., sued over exposure to the chemical C8, also known as ammonium perfluorooctanoate or PFOA.

Next school year, traditional letter grades will be abandoned by 22 of Arbor Ridge Elementary's 31 teachers.The change comes after positive reaction from parents and teachers to portfolio assessments used in this year's three multi-age classes.''I'm very pleased that many of them will do it,'' said Principal Ralph Hewitt. ''It's very exciting.''Instead of simple letter grades, parents will receive written assessments on how students are progressing in a range of skills. The reports include student work demonstrating progress.

A "role model" is not the answer. The only right thing is the selection of a justice who has the wisdom, experience and logic to make a major contribution to our nation's future, through proper interpretation of our Constitution. I favor the appointment of former Solicitor General Ted Olson to the vacancy. If his age is too much of a barrier, I'd accept Alberto Gonzales on the court and Olson to succeed him as attorney general. Walter M. Windsor Longwood

The Lakeridge Winery in Clermont leans on educating the public about wines as a cornerstone of its success, officials there say. Offerings tours and tastings daily, the south Lake County winery's next special event is Blues at the Winery on April 16 and 17, featuring live music and food. The winery has come a long way, vice president Charles Cox said recently. "When we started 20 years ago, there were roughly three to four wineries in the state." Now, there are 15 in the state with Lakeridge considered one of the largest wineries on the East Coast and among the top 100 in the United States, he said.